Tricks Instead of Treats
by Strawberrywaltz
Summary: A Halloween Themed story. A deadly Halloween Trickster has Sam and Callen struggling to figure out whats real and what might kill them.  No Pairings
1. Chapter 1

**Happy Halloween!**

**Unfortunately I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles…so no money for me.**

**Hope you enjoy and thank you so much for reading!**

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><p>It was Halloween, and Halloween typically meant trouble in they great city of Los Angeles. In the criminal world tricks were preferred over treats and the sickest tricksters surfaced to let their plans unfold.<p>

Crazy had already shown its ugly face earlier in the day. A highly decorated Marine woke to find his daughter missing and a twisted clue left behind. The NCIS crew was called in and the hunt began to find the little girl before the twisted bastard performed a dark satanic ritual using her blood.

By the time the team had a solid lead and a plan of action the second string of crazy appeared, forcing the team to split up. Deeks and Kensi would complete the first case while Callen and Sam tried to find some psychopath who enjoyed causing people to go mad.

According to the report several people had started acting strangely throughout the week, local LEOs had discovered the cause being a drug administered by small darts shot from a distant.

Each of the victims were immediately affected after being hit by the darts, all saying their worst fears seemed to be happening right in front of their eyes. The drug was fast acting, lasting anywhere from five to fifteen minutes. Enough to be embarrassing for the people affected. Thankfully there were no lasting problems in the victim. The drug passed through their systems quickly, leaving no trace it had ever been in them.

Most of the strong responses were caught on public security tapes and showed to Callen and Sam as they prepared to investigate.

Up until that morning nothing to severe had happened, no injuries or lasting effects due to the drug. The police had almost no leads, mostly due to other cases piling on top of one another.

The most recent victim, however, had been a soldier. A petty officer who had just come home from an intense war zone. The hallucination the man had caused him to believe the people around him were the enemy, and that he had been ordered to kill them all. It had only taken three minutes for five people to die and three more to be critically injured. A security guard near by had reacted the only way he knew how to protect the civilians and shot down the Marine before anyone else could be hurt or killed.

Now Sam Hanna and G Callen were looking for justice for the deaths and to prevent any more injuries or murders due to the unpredictable effects of the drug. The man who had created and distributed the drug would pay for what he had done.

Eric and Nell had already obtained information that pointed towards a faceless suspect. A video surveillance camera had captured a man in a demon mask with a rifle in one of the buildings just before the Marine started the killing spree. Callen and Sam had been given the coordinates and set out to take a look around.

Each attack had been centered around the same area where the shooting had taken place, the Agents hoped to find their mad scientist/sniper and bring him in before anyone else was effected by this malicious Halloween 'Trick.'

Sam was driving his Challenger as G spoke into his phone, "Alright, keep us updated." He spoke to Kensi, who was with Deeks and ready to execute Plan B for the rescue of the Marines daughter. "Will do." Callen snapped the phone shut. Glancing at his partner G sighed, "Have I ever told you how much I hate Halloween?"

Smirking a bit at his partner's blunt statement Sam nodded, "A few times, actually. I have to admit it is one of our more intense holidays." The SEAL gave a casual shrug of his right shoulder, "But Halloween does have its perks too." He grinned lightly, negotiating the Challenger through the thick LA traffic.

Callen looked at Sam with an expression of complete disbelief, "Perks? What perks?"

"Free candy," Sam pointed out, holding up his index finger as he started his list.

"Candy that's only given out to children," Callen pointed out, dashing Sam's first perk.

Sam frowned, dropping his hand back to the wheel as he threw a small glare at his passenger. "You're such a cynic, G. Fine. Kids having innocent fun."

"Strangers coming to your door all night long begging you for treats, I do not find that cute. It's annoying." Callen countered back. "Oh," G interrupted before Sam could speak again, "And if you ignore them they egg your house and throw toilet paper in your trees."

Sam growled, "Not giving out candy is douchy, G." He shook his head, "Fine, this one you'll have to agree with me on."

G looked at him curiously, eyebrows raised in a challenge. "Oh really?"

"Really." Sam smirked, "Costume parties. Or more specifically the girls at costume parties."

Sam watched his partner ponder this for a moment and grinned in victory when Callen finally nodded slowly, "You do have a point." The number of hot girls dressing in scandalous (and slightly if not completely slutty) costumes on Halloween for parties was a highlight, and G would be lying if it wasn't worth a trip to a bar Halloween night to see. "Okay, that's one good point about Halloween, however the only good point."

Feeling victorious for simply coming up with one idea his partner couldn't deny Sam left it at that and called it a win. "Glad that you agree."

G shook his head, "Whatever. There is no denying that tonight's the night the freaks love to come out to play. And we're the ones that have to deal with the aftermath."

"Not all of the aftermath. Just be glad you aren't LAPD, now they've got their work cut out for them." Sam pointed out as he pulled his dark vehicle into a parking space near the square.

"Perhaps we should send them a sympathy card." Callen smirked as Sam killed the engine.

Both partners exited the car and headed towards the building Eric had spotted the shooter at. As they walked Callen's eyes swept the crowd. No one seemed overly concerned about being targeted by a crazy man or shot up with a powerful drug that made a person temporarily unhinged.

Something caught his blue eyes as he walked, causing his pace to slow to a stop. "Sam," he called out, pointing to a man with a messenger style bag. A demon mask was half revealed, "Isn't that the mask from the video."

Sam looked through the crowd at the man, no older than twenty walking away from them. "Dunno, doesn't hurt to ask." At this point any lead would be a good one. The two agents set out to question the man who glanced back over his shoulder towards them. "He looks nervous." Sam commented, holding up his hand to get the man's attention. "Federal Agents," Sam called, "We'd like to-" The man bolted, "Shit, G!"

"I see him," G barked back, already sprinting after their apparent suspect.

I'll have more later on tonight. This is going to be a rather quick story. I should have it finished and completely posted by tonight. (If not tonight then tomorrow, I do have a test I need to study for) I figured it was Halloween so I should do a themed story. (Don't worry, I am still working on my other two stories! I just can't help that plots keep coming to me!)

Please review! Reviews are like coffee, they make me happy and extra inspired!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The chase had taken them into the narrow maze of back alleys behind the more populated square. The two agents ran at an impressive and practiced 'suspect pursuing' pace with Sam leading by a few inches, G following in step closely behind.

Like most back alleyways in Los Angeles there were an abundance of obstacles to hinder their path. Some of the backstreets were narrow, others were lined with trashcans, scattered piles of debris and shattered glass bottles. Nothing hindered their pace as they rushed on; Callen even thought that they were finally gaining on the quick footed man.

Callen watched Sam pass easily through a four way cross in front of him, G also caught the way Sam glanced to the side and jumped to get out of the way of something. There was a high pitched and frantic squeal of mistreated breaks as G stepped out in front of an SUV. The vehicle slammed into G, sending him to the un-kept blacktop. Dazed G heard Sam call out his name, but Callen was already getting back up onto his feet, the movement painfully slow.

"I'm good," G groaned as Sam started towards him, straightening stiffly. He waved his partner off, "Go!" He motioned with his head in the direction their suspect headed, "I'll catch up."

Sam nodded hesitantly but dutifully took off again at an increased speed, desperately trying to make up the lost distance between him and the suspect.

"Oh my God!" The driver, a young redheaded girl cried out as she exited her now dented vehicle. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you, no one ever…you just…all of a sudden." She was shaking and breathing in sharp panicked gasps, clearly in shock of hitting someone. "The breaks, my grandpa was going to get them fixed today. I…are you alright? I'm so, so sorry!"

Callen groaned again, feeling a pop in his back as he bent to relieve the pressure, "I'm fine," He assured the hysterical girl. Absently G glanced at the tracks of blood left by a gash he'd received by some glass he'd landed in. "I'm a federal agent, this isn't the first time I've gotten hit by a car chasing a suspect. Don't worry about it." As he spoke he looked back at the girl, than down the lane as Sam disappeared around a corner. G hated leaving the girl in the state she was in, but also didn't want Sam left without backup.

G's body ached, specifically his left side from the initial impact of the vehicle. Pushing the acknowledgment of pain to the forgotten dark corners of his brain, Callen started to run after Sam and the suspect. Limping at first but slowly regaining his natural gait as he picked up the pace to catch up.

At the end of the stretch of alley, Callen stopped and looked around for any sign of Sam or the man they had been chasing. The sharp popping sound of gunfire drew his attention to a building to the left that appeared to be under heavy construction. From where he stood Callen saw that a large stretch of wall on the third floor was missing, lined with plastic sheeting. Holding his sig comfortably in his hand G took a breath, hurrying forward.

G tried not to think that he might be to late in protecting his partner. "Sam!" He called when he pushed passed the plastic sheeting over the door. It was darker inside, the power hadn't yet been wired into its skeleton like walls.

Hearing motion upstairs Callen moved towards the staircase and dashed up two steps at a time. The second floor was silent and before G could move to clear it voices sounded from the floor above him. "Sam!" He barked, arriving to the third floor. The booming sound of a gunshot filled the space, causing G to duck down behind the stairway. He heard the bullet hit the wood near where he had just been standing.

Lifting his head, and the gun in his hands he checked the area, mostly obscured by more plastic sheeting hanging from the ceiling. It was a maze of its own, making visibility shallow at best. Carefully G left the safety of the stairway and moved along the wall to glance around the first section of foggy plastic. Sam stood there in the open space with his gun in hand, ready to fire. G figured his partner was clearing the room as well, looking for the one who had fired the weapon.

Leaving the protection of the plastic to reveal himself to his partner to avoid being shot. Sam's gun flinched at the movement, aim swinging towards G and his trigger finger squeezing off a shot. Lucky enough for Callen he was very familiar with Sam's poster when he was about to fire his gun and G managed to drop fast enough that the bullet only skimmed across his back. It was only a graze, but it burned, searing pain causing the stoic man to grunt as he rushed and ducked behind another plastic wall.

"What the hell Sam?" Callen hissed, cold with the realization that Sam might have been hit with the drug. Another shot fired, going to the right of where G now stood. Talking to his friend in this state probably wasn't the best idea. Taking in a calming breath Callen tried to think of a way out of this mess. His best friend, his comrade was off his head, around the bend and talking was only received with gunfire.

"I really hate Halloween," G muttered to himself, so quietly he counted on Sam not over hearing the words. He needed a plan, or this was going to end very badly, for the both of them.

Ha, okay so I underestimated how much studying I really need to do for this test. So I will be completing this story tomorrow! My apologies, I hope you have a happy and safe Halloween!

Strawberry.

PS: Reviews and Reviewers are Loved. ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to all who are reading this story! I'm enjoying writing it, so I hope you all are enjoying reading it! ^^ (I always love hearing your thoughts!)**

**A special shout out to justdreaming-83, who gave me two wonderful reviews! Thank you so much for the support! It means a lot! (And I'll admit to you publicly that I did read your review last night when I should have been studying. ^^ My excuse is simply that there is only so much Algebra one's mind can take at a time)**

**A second special shout out to KA Tesla and Mutantxjulie who (along with justdreaming-83) signed up for Alerts. Thanks guys!**

**And thank you all for reading!**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Sam hadn't wanted to leave G behind, especially after his partner had been unceremoniously mowed down by the SUV. One look at the driver and Sam knew the poor girl hadn't meant anything malicious. The redhead was ghostly white in fright, her large bright green eyes staring in fear at Callen as he slowly got back to his feet. It was as if she thought he was some kind of horror movie zombie rising up from the dead.

That small thought lightened the situation for Sam slightly, bringing a flicker of a smile to the large agents lips.

G had told him to go on and so Sam obeyed reluctantly, dashing after their fleeing suspect alone. The former Navy SEAL hated when his partner, or any of his team for that matter, were injured and silently cursed the redhead for driving around in the back roads causing the incident. Mal intent or not it still ended up injuring Callen, which pissed Sam off.

Picking up his speed Sam managed to close the majority of the gap between him and the suspect. The man glanced over his shoulder and Sam could tell the man knew he wasn't going to outrun the determined agent. Even at a distance Sam could see a new plan being calculated in the perp's eyes. Only slowing his steps slightly, the man ducked into what appeared to be a small hotel still being built. Thankfully none of the construction workers seemed to be around, so the probability for a hostage situation to unfold was low. A small favor Sam could be thankful for.

Sam's thoughts were still on his partner as he pulled out his gun and entered the half constructed building, pushing the plastic sheet acting as the front door aside roughly as he scanned the unfamiliar and dimly lit space around him. Gun out and ready in front of him he made his way inside, heading towards the stairs as he had heard the heavy sound of footfall on the wooden steps.

"Federal Agent, I just want to talk." Sam called out, in case the man hadn't heard him earlier when the chase began. There was no immediate response.

The man's voice did sound when Sam arrived on the second floor, it came from the floor above him. "Isn't it amazing?" The voice was gravely, but light. The sound was loud enough to carry easily through the air, echoing around through the darkened building. Sam noticed there was no strain from the chase, no concern or overlaying worry hinted in the tone. As if the man had missed the memo that he was totally screwed.

"What's amazing?" Sam humored him as he entered the maze of fog colored plastic sheets. It was dark, no sunlight to shine through the sheeting to give any indication of where the suspect might be hiding. Sam needed to keep the guy talking, the man's voice would give away his position.

"Fear," There was a cracking sound of a shot fired and Sam swatted at his shoulder, a sharp prickling pain vibrated through Sam. Immediately the agent knew he was in some deep shit as his hand came across the small dart embedded in his skin.

Panic surged through Sam, not just because of the drug, although he knew it was fast acting. Now that the drug was pulsing through his veins, Sam wasn't sure how he'd react, losing control was terrifying for the strong and composed agent.

"What do you fear?" The man asked lightly, voice floating to Sam whose mind was already starting to recognize the changes the drug was afflicting. Sam's gun shook in his hands and the full panic of the situation and what he might do under the influence took over the agent's mind. The fast acting panic surged in his heart. Paranoia came next, what would he see? What enemies would his mind create?

Unnatural movement surrounded Sam and the shadows and plastic sheeting seemed to come alive. Sam flinched at each shape as they formed into faces of old and new enemies. The agent was not sure of what was truly real, where the real enemy had hidden himself.

A sharp noise over by the stairway caught his attention and fear pulled the trigger. The shot was a bit wild, not as calculated as Sam normally would normally shoot. When his brain was calm, not out of control because of a drug, Sam would have hit his target easily. His hands shook harder and Sam tried his hardest to focus, he needed to shoot straight. There was a strong possibility the man in the room with him could take advantage if Sam didn't calm down.

His name was called, echoing around him. Sam's eyes narrowed, how did the man know his name? Or were there more now? The voice had sounded different, though heavily distorted through the drug-induced filter over his mind.

Spinning around Sam wished Callen was there with him watching his back, the large man felt exposed in the open. His heart thudded harshly in his chest as he flinched at the movement towards the wall to his left. A man, no more like a monster emerged from behind a plastic sheet. Sam's eyes widened as they took in the way the creature's skin appeared to be pealing from his bones, the blood dripping down his arm and staining his left leg. It was a foggy, double image and Sam reacted with his gun, squeezing off a shot.

The rational part of Sam's mind worked only slightly, enough to tell Sam firmly that this 'creature' was probably another suspect in costume. Still, the danger was enough to send Sam over the edge. Now he was outnumbered.

The thing grunted, falling to the ground before vanishing. His name was called again and Sam fired his gun in that direction. The voice was silenced, but the lack of a thud registered to Sam as a bad sign. There were still two men out there, waiting to strike.

"Show yourself you coward!" Sam yelled, voice booming, echoing around the space.

There was sinister laughter behind him causing the large man to fire off another round randomly in that general direction. Heavy steps sounded behind him, Sam moved to slowly to turn and defend himself. Something crashed into him solidly, but the smaller man didn't succeed in flooring the larger man.

Wildly Sam grabbed the man's small neck, pulling him away and slamming him into a pillar nearby. The Zombie grunted, the sound painful. Sam didn't care, his mind only focused on accomplishing what the enemy had started.

"Sam, God Damn it!" The stranger hissed, "It's me!"

All Sam saw was the enemy as he raised his gun to the creature's head.

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><p><strong>I will hopefully have another chapter up tonight, I plan to at least have this story completed by Friday. (It ended up being a bit longer than originally planned!)<strong>

**Reviews are Love! (And I love Reviewers!)**

**- Strawberrywaltz**

**Oh, and FYI, I rocked my test this morning! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**

Here's the next chapter!

Special Thanks to Sahara Rose 101, brownjar, justdreaming-83, Dixie, daughter of ewan, and Gabi2305 for taking the time to review! You guys have no idea how much I appreciate and love your support! It means a lot! THANK YOU~

And than you all for reading! I hope you enjoy!

**

Chapter 4

Callen had already been in some serious pain when he entered the building from the car crash and the hits just kept on coming. The bullet graze burned, the pain radiating across the back of his beautifully sculpted shoulders where the round metal had torn into his skin. Skipping like a flat stone over water. It felt like someone was dragging sharp nails over second-degree sunburn, except so much worse.

Blood gathered from the wound, trickling down G's smooth back and stained the grey material of his now ripped shirt black. Filing the hot pain of the graze away with the soreness from the SUV hitting him, Callen forced himself to concentrate on Sam's voice.

"Show yourself you coward!" The larger agent yelled, voice raw with unsettled emotion. G knew without a doubt that his friend had been hit with the mystery drug. There was no other plausible explanation to Sam acting this way, so out of control and unpredictable. The real question was how long it would take before Sam returned to normal, and if Callen could survive that long.

There was no way for G to know if the target had left the building after injecting Sam with the drug, but there was also no way to precede with clearing the building without subduing his temporarily deranged friend either. Closing his blue eyes Callen tried to steady the world, which had suddenly decided it's normal rotation was getting boring. That was the bad side of ignoring injuries they never truly go away. Not even when you really need them to.

Taking in a deep breath G reopened his eyes, a quick plan had been formulated and the world currently returned to the visual norm. In an effortless movement Callen flipped the safety back on his gun and slipped the weapon into the holster located against his back. Callen would take no risk in harming Sam, no matter how far around the bend the big man was.

Laughter echoed around the area, floating and bouncing off the many different surfaces in the room. There was no way to pin point where the sound was coming from exactly. However Callen knew it wasn't Sam, which meant the suspect was still with them. Wincing G hoped the bastard would stay hidden until Sam was properly restrained. Once that was accomplished Callen could focus all his energy on shooting the Halloween Trickster for what he had done to his partner.

Moving faultlessly across the wooden floor, Callen positioned himself approximately behind where Sam had been standing before, hidden on the other side of a plastic wall. Carefully G glanced around the side of the plastic. His eyes immediately took in the information he needed and his battered body sprung into action, swiftly bolting forward and crashing into Sam's back.

G had hoped the initial force behind the sudden and unexpected hit would be strong enough to knock the gun from Sam's hand, but Callen had underestimated how similar rushing his friend would feel to being hit by the SUV. Pain shocked through his body again, rattling his mind and causing his vision to black out for a moment, only for reality to be restored when Sam's meaty hand wrapped around his throat as the bigger man shoved him into a pillar.

"Sam, God Damn it!" Callen groaned out, eyes rolling back a bit in his head from the most recent hit, "It's me!"

Blue eyes snapped up to Sam's drugged, dull eyes. There was no recollection within Sam's dark depths. Fear spiked in Callen as he realized Sam would shoot him without a second thought. That second thought wouldn't come until later, when Sam's biggest fear was realized.

As Callen stood there with the gun pointed at his head, staring down the barrel of the gun he thought back to when Sam had told him he was afraid of two things: Clowns and watching his partner die. How much more scaring would that be if Sam ended up being the one who had pulled the final trigger? Callen didn't want Sam to find out.

Once again G's knowledge on his partner's body language saved his life. As Sam beefy finger squeezed the trigger Callen's hand shot up, knocking the gun upward just as it fired. The sound of the gunfire was deafening at such a close proximity, leaving a high pitched ringing screaming in G's ears. The danger hadn't passed and Callen was under no illusion it had. The adrenaline was building from each near death experience, numbing the pain and allowing G the focus needed to survive the dire situation.

Or at least focus enough to fight for a positive outcome. Maybe Sam was rubbing off on him, G thought suddenly, he was starting to think with the glass half full.

As soon as his gun was compromised Sam lashed out, tightening his grip on Callen's neck with one hand while swinging the butt of the gun towards Callen's head.

G's vision grayed dangerously from the impact. Nothing in the hit gave any indication that Sam was holding back and as G fell to the ground he silently thanked any God listening that on a normal day Sam was on his side. Shaking his head clear from the fog Callen looked up at the gun pointed down at him.

Once again Sam pointed the weapon directly at Callen's head and somehow G understood that this time it would be different. Exhaling a nervous breath Callen watched as Sam started to pull the trigger for the last time when a sudden muffled noise caused the big man to flinch violently. The shot fired didn't blow through Callen's brain as intended but instead buried itself in G's right thigh, the sharp pain causing Callen to let out a strangled scream.

It took a minute for G to realize each sound heard had probably been much louder, but his hearing was still screwed up from before.

Not wanting to be at the receiving end of another one of those bullets Callen moved again as Sam was distracted, sweeping his leg under the larger agent, throwing Sam off balance and crashing down to the floor. Scrambling G managed to quickly pin his partner down and slip the metal bands around his wrists.

Sam struggled wildly, bucking under the smaller agent but G couldn't help but be relieved. "You'll thank me later." G told his screaming friend, voice muffled by the present ringing in Callen's ears. Patting Sam's shoulder G slowly pushed himself back onto his feet using the pillar next to him as support. The pain in his leg was added to the growing list of injuries G had sustained in less than thirty minutes. Without the adrenalin the worn agent was painfully aware that he'd be withering on the floor next to his bound partner.

Now all Callen had to worry about was the psycho with the drug gun.

A stinging at his neck captured Callen's attention. Confused he brought his hand to the side of his neck, carefully pulling out the small metal object. Studying the object with a dazed expression G took a moment to realize he had been hit with the drug. With a sharp gasp he dropped the little dart like it was scolding his hand. "Crap." He muttered, stumbling to the back of the room, hoping to somehow restrain the Trickster before the drug took its hold on his mind. Or before he fainted from blood loss.

**

Soooooo, my original plan has changed. Mostly because I decided to take the request of Gabi2305 (which I appreciated!) because my readers desires are important to me. (Because I love my reviewers!)

Anyway, I think this is story has the possibility to become much….much…longer than I had originally planned.

So I'll give you guys a bit of a choice. Do you want me to wrap this up quickly, or would you guys enjoy a bit of an extension?

The choice is yours.

Thank you so much for reading and your continued support! It means everything!

- Strawberrywaltz

**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So this is a rather dark chapter. (So be warned if really dark twisted things bother you) It might not be that twisted for you guys, but it was surprisingly hard for me to write…(well, just a little bit hard to write…)**

**I love my readers! Thank you all for your continued support! And special thanks to Justdreaming-83, Gabi2305, daughter of ewan, gillian gutfright, and Sweetpea for reviewing for chapter 4! You guys rock!**

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

G staggered as he moved further from Sam, the multitude of injuries he had endured - including the mystery drug in his system - caused him to walk more like a drunkard than the stealthy agent he normally was. The pain in his thigh burned with each uneasy step and as Callen stumbled onward he couldn't help but think his leg might actually be on fire. "Stupid drug," G muttered to himself, eyes avoiding looking down at the source, afraid to look and see flames shooting out of the heart of his most recent wound. Callen had to keep his head on straight. He couldn't afford to lose reality until the Trickster was apprehended. Only when his mission was completed could G allow himself to given into the drug. He had to keep moving, despite the pain and growing fear.

As Callen passed through the walls of hanging plastic searching for the enemy his piercing blue eyes struggled to remain focus. Already his vision was bouncing from nameless drug among the other harsh things his body had been put through.

Callen sucked in a sharp breath when he tripped over his own feet, it was dumb luck that he managed to catch himself on a wall, half inside the building half staring out a space where a window should have been. His blue eyes widened and his heart thudded noticeably harder in his chest. Gripping the wall Callen turned and placed his back firmly against it. Not wanting to somehow lose his balance and fall three stories to the sidewalk below. He'd already been hit by a car and shot by his partner: twice. Falling out of a building would be a bit excessive.

Blinking forcefully G scanned the room again as he leaned his shoulders, bullet graze and all, painfully against the wall for support. Slowly Callen thought that he should consider pulling out his weapon to ready himself for a confrontation with the unseen enemy. However G feared he might act as unpredictably as Sam had and start shooting at everything that moved or made a sound. Callen was too afraid of the collateral damage he might inflict if he wasn't thinking clearly with a weapon in his hand.

Still in his current condition there was little hope that Callen could physically take down a newborn kitten, let alone a healthy, clear minded human being. Well, not really a human being, more like a severely twisted bastard.

"Feeling a bit under the weather?" An eerie voice echoed around him, the shadows shifted as if they were alive but Callen made no movement to defend himself. Nothing he saw could truly be trusted; everything around him was a lie. Hell, for all he knew the voice was a figment of his twisted subconscious.

Blinking owlishly again Callen pushed himself off the wall to walk forward, only to have his knees crumble from underneath him, sending him painfully to the ground. With a grunt Callen found himself on his side, unable to move. G felt weak and his head operated as if it had been stuffed with cotton balls of confusion.

Opening his tired eyes a pair of boots suddenly consumed G's vision. Slowly the agent looked up to see a demon looking down at him. Callen's breath hitched and his body flinched back in surprise and defense. His movements felt like he was weighed down by iron chains and submerged underwater. Nothing about it gave G any reason to believe he could fight back, and that scared Callen more than anything.

If he couldn't move he couldn't watch Sam's back. Callen had left his partner handcuffed and unarmed. Vulnerable and open for an attack.

"Look at you, a complete mess." The demon chuckled hollowly, no humor lacing the dark sound as the man squatted down next to Callen's frozen form. "Perhaps I should simply put you out of your misery." But the demon shook his head, "No, I can't ruin this opportunity, it is just too fascinating." In G's muddled mind he could see the expressions of the mask changing, it was terrifying and real. "You see, I am a psychologist and I find fear to be one of the most interesting conditions of the mind. There are so many things to fear…what is it that you fear?" His voice was smooth, almost soothing as he stared down at G through the mask. "I've seen many different people react to my little concoction. Most fear bugs and small things like that. Your friend over there seemed to fear losing control. However you, you seem to be afraid of helplessness."

Callen swallowed thickly, glaring up at the man, "Go…to hell." He managed through nearly paralyzed lips. His body was trembling but unable to move sufficiently enough to attack or defend.

The demon nodded, pulling out a small metal object. "This is my last bit of the drug," The man spoke and reached out with his claw like hands, pushing G onto his back roughly. The agent groaned weakly as his weapon holster dug painfully into his back, already abused from the car hitting him earlier.

"I wonder what an extra dose would do to a man in your condition? With your adrenalin levels this high. How much do you think your heart can handle before it gives out?" The demon quarried, clearly already planning on finding out. "Being frightened to death on Halloween, doesn't that sound a bit poetic?" The demon chuckled darkly as he leaned over Callen.

The downed agent stared up the creature, the man, the suspect. Whatever he was, Callen knew he was the enemy. G wanted to scream, wanted to break his hand against the man's face. It would be worth the added pain and injury, but Callen remained completely still.

As the masked man lowered the dart to G's neck the agent inwardly struggled to get even the smallest movement out of his muscles, but his limbs felt like lead. He couldn't defend himself. Callen couldn't stop this from happening. Was this his fear playing with his mind? Was this even real? Maybe he was alone…maybe he wasn't even conscious. Maybe this wasn't real.

However it was real, and Callen remained still as the second dart pierced his skin and more of the dreaded drug entered his veins.

His body, once silent reacted violently to the foreign substance. Callen's muscles contracted, his body jerking in a seizer like spasm. A scream escaped his lips, though it wasn't from the pain that overwhelmed him. G was helpless, the frustration from being unable to fight back cried out with the shrieking sound escaping passed his pale lips.

Once the twitching faded Callen blinked his eyes open weakly, "Sam…" he whispered, hoping his friend had managed to get free once the drug had fled his system.

"Oh, is that the name of your partner?" Demon asked casually, as if they were old friends chatting about the weather over coffee. "I wonder how you'll react when I slit his throat." The man flashed a shiny blade in front of Callen's wide eyes. Suddenly G found himself struggling to breath, his chest constricted with pain as a powerful panic attack struck him.

The light words, so easily spoken by the deranged man twisted a sharp blade of fear into Callen's heart. It thudded painfully in his chest causing G to scream again once he managed to inhale enough air. His breathing went back to quick painful gasps as he struggled once more to move, his body only able to make weak flailing movements.

The mask the man wore seemed to smile, "Ah, I see this upsets you. I am afraid there is nothing you can do to stop me. Your fear will hold you here as I run this knife across his throat. The blood will poor out of his body and all you will only be able to do is watch and listen as he drowns in his own warm blood."

Tears sprung to Callen's eyes, escaping down his pale cheeks as he stared up at the man. His body twitched again as his heart raced at unnatural speeds. "No," he managed to whisper as he struggled to breath again. "D…don't…"

"I must, you two have seen my true face." The demon spoke, voice once again soothing as he reached his hand out and ran it through Callen's short hair. "I do wish we could have spent more time together…" Standing the man tilted his head looking down at Callen, "When I'm finished I will come back and end this for you." He promised, before disappearing from sight.

G couldn't stand it, unable to suck in a proper breath he struggled weakly against the invisible bindings of fear surrounding him, "Sam…" he managed to scream again, hearing the other man's muffled protest before the gagging started. "No…" Callen cried, tears rolling down his face from his too bright eyes. "S…am…"

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><p><strong>Okay, so that's it for now. I'm going to start working on the third chapter of The Second Sight. I've been so obsessed with finishing this story that I've been neglecting my others!<strong>

**Tell me what you think! Or if you have any requests. I have a pretty good idea of where I want to take this now, but I'm open to suggestions. (I can't say I'll always take them, but it doesn't hurt for you to try!) I write for you guys as much as I write for myself!**

**Love you all!**

**- Strawberrywaltz**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ah, I thought I wasn't going to make it! But I did, and thus a new chapter for you guys! I hope you do enjoy, and remember that reviews are loved!**

**Thank you so much to those who reviewed for Chapter 5! SumNumb3ers, justdreaming-83, Gillian gutfright, gabi2305, skippy1967 (hope you had a splendid vacation!) and Sissy!**

**You guys really are fizzy stuff in my soda!**

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

It felt like he was waking up from a terrible nightmare. All the faces and events were blurred, memories foggy at best. It had felt unreal, as if someone else had been waving the gun around like a maniac. Like he'd been watching a movie, fiction. Except everything that happened had been real. So very real.

One moment Sam was struggling, trying desperately to free himself and the next it was as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water over his body. Clarity came like a fist to the jaw, sharp and painful. A face, a familiar face. One he saw every day stared back at him in the memory. His own hand was around the man's throat, the blue eyes lit with panic and fear. Fear of Sam. The piece of memory was quick and the image vanished once more, just lasting long enough for Sam to remember what was important.

"Oh God." Sam murmured softly into the wooden floor he lay on, so still and frightened. This time it wasn't because of the drug. If G was in fact the 'zombie' he'd thought was working with the 'demon' Sam knew his friend had to be in bad shape. There was no time to waste, Sam had to get out of the fucking cuffs and help his partner.

A dagger like pain shot through Sam's heart as he calmly managed to roll himself over and prop his body against the pillar he'd shoved G in minutes before. Trying to gather his emotions back under his control Sam set his mind to the task of freeing himself.

Although every fiber of his being wanted to call out to his partner and let G know he was on his way to help logic was set in Sam's cleared mind. For the moment Sam didn't want to give away that he was awake and his mind was thinking clearly once more. The big agent was afraid that if he revealed this to the enemy the demon would shoot him up with more of the drug. At the moment the element of surprise was the only thing Sam had working for him.

First thing was first, Sam had to focus on getting rid of his not so stylish silver bracelets. Twisting his hands, already cut up and bloody from his crazed struggling prior, Sam managed to lift the small brass colored bobby pin from the hem on his jeans. His eyes watered slightly with emotion, remembering it was G who had showed him this trick. Back when they had infiltrated that Militia group. Callen hadn't faired to well on that case either, but that concussion had been delivered by the enemy. This time it was all Sam.

Well, except for maybe the car crash. Though suddenly Sam felt heavy guilt for failing to warn G about the approaching vehicle. The rational, level headed part of Sam's mind knew there had been no time. Yet still guilt was a friend to no one. It consumed, taking everything it could until it was stopped by forgiveness. Even than, Sam wasn't sure he could truly forgive himself for what he had done to his partner. Drug or no drug what he had done was unforgivable. Sam would understand if Callen struggled in getting past this episode.

Once the bobby pin was successfully freed and ready to use Sam forced his racing mind to focus on the task of picking the cuffs lock.

The focus was lost when his ears, ringing slightly from the his gun discharging so many times, soaked in the sound of his partner screaming. For a second Sam just sat there listening to the desperate sound. Even when G had been shot five times he hadn't screamed. He simply had looked up at Sam as he frantically tried to get a hold of an ambulance and silently closed his eyes.

Another flash of memory pierced through Sam's fuzzy mind, this time of him aiming his gun down at G and narrowly missing his original mark. The bullet thudded into his partner's leg and Sam gasped, the memory ended and G was screaming again.

"Focus," Sam grunted to himself angrily and set a quicker pace on freeing himself. The plastic walls shifted and the masked man appeared, striding over towards Sam with a shinny knife in his hand.

"I see you are awake," The man spoke calmly, "How much of what you did do you remember? Do you remember how hard your friend fought to stop you?"

All Sam could think of was the worse case scenario. The mask man was here, G was not. The screaming, it had sounded as if Callen had been tortured to death. The knife, it wasn't bloody, yet the man could have easily cleaned the blade.

"You think I killed your partner." The masked man said lightly, pulling off his mask and tossing it aside. Since Sam was no longer under the influence of the drug the effect was not needed. "You would be wrong. You killed your partner. I simply put him out of his misery." There was a pause as Sam soaked in this information. "And now I'm going to kill you."

Fear was replaced quickly by calculated anger. As the masked man stepped forward Sam bolted to his feet after twisting out of the unlocked cuffs. In a smooth movement the well-trained SEAL grabbed the man's hand holding the knife with a swift twist broke the man's wrist. The scream the psycho let out was muffled as Sam wrapped his thick arm around the man's small throat, tightening his grip with precise pressure.

A terrible gagging sound filled the air around them and slowly the struggles came to a stop. Letting the man drop to the floor Sam breathed deeply. It had taken everything in his power to not kill the man. Taking a deep breath he looked towards the plastic wall, afraid of what he might find on the other side. Still, the masked man got his kicks from watching other people react to what they feared the most. The odds of the man lying were the same as him telling the truth. Fifty fifty.

Swallowing the lump in his throat Sam moved forward quickly, ripping back the plastic sheeting to reveal his partner on the far side of the room lying in a pool of growing crimson. G's blue eyes were closed and his face was pale. No movement could be seen from where Sam stood and in that moment Sam feared his partner was in fact dead.

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><p><strong>I love you all! Thank you so much for your support as I write!<strong>

**Reviews are loved (as always)**

**Thank you! (again)**

**- Strawberrywaltz ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello all, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I would have had it up yesterday but I had a bit of a problem with my computer…sadness. But Max is working pretty good now (despite a whirling sound…) so things should be okay. *Crosses fingers***

**Thank you to all those who have been reading this story and a special thank you to those who reviewed for the last chapter: SumNumb3rs, daughter of ewan, justdreaming-83, gabi2305, Gillian gutfright (I am sorry you had trouble sleeping…yet somehow am flattered) skippy1967, and Dixie! You guys are awesome!**

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Sam fell at Callen's side, his dark eyes soaking in the damage his friend had endured at his own hand. Blood poured from the bullet wound in G's leg, the blood smear on the ground next to his body suggested a wound on Callen's back, semi dry blood cracked and oozed from the cut on his right arm, and than there were the bruises both hidden and visible.

A dark, shadowed hand was forming around his partner's pale throat from where Sam had grabbed him so roughly. Guilt kicked the big agent in the gut before he could shake it away. Blinking Sam slowly reached out to feel for a pulse. Holding his breath Sam waited…and waited. Nothing.

"No…nonono, come on G, don't do this to me!" Sam snapped at the unconscious and possibly dead man. Quickly Sam started chest compressions, wincing as he felt G's ribs shift under the force of his weight. His partner was in bad shape this time. The big agent's mind went back to all the times when Callen talked about dying on the job. Every time he used that as an excuse for something reckless it hurt Sam unintentionally.

"I'm not going to live long enough for that to matter," Had ended many serious conversations between them. The words were said in a playful manor, but Sam could hear the truth behind the statement. Sometimes it made Sam wonder how much value G gave his life. It killed Sam every time, yet this situation was bringing his biggest fear to reality.

Slightly there was a gasp and G's body shuddered back to life. With a groan his still body managed to flinch before resuming its unnatural stillness.

"G?" Sam called, trying to get his partner to open his eyes, "G?" Once again his finger was reaching for Callen's throat, the big agent worried that the smaller man's heart had failed again.

At the touch G flinched harshly, his body jerking slightly before his head fell limply to the side. "No…" Came a tortured whisper, "no…"

"G, it's me, it's Sam." His partner tried again, his words whispered dripping with concern. Did G think he was someone else? Or in his fragile state was Callen actually afraid of him for what he had done? Helplessly Sam sat back a bit and watched as G's eyes opened slightly. They were dazed and dull, drugged Sam realized. After a closer expectation of G's neck Sam saw to small red dots among the forming bruises, the skin surrounding them slightly pink with irritation. Cold ran through his veins when Sam realized Callen hadn't just been injected with the drug, he'd been injected twice.

"Oh God," Sam gasped, flinching a bit when he heard something from the stairs. Footsteps. Anger replaced the worry, "I should have killed that bastard." He grunted, moving to stand and pursue only for G to stop him.

"S..am…" The weak formation of his name caused the anger to flee from Sam's heart again, replaced by anguish for what he had done to his friend. Not just his partner, but his brother. "Don't…" G continued, the tone was a begging one, causing Sam's heart to drop into the pit of despair.

"G, I'm not going to hurt you." Sam promised weakly, "It was the drug…I."

"Don't die…" Callen muttered, interrupting Sam's thought process. Those two words strung together sung in his heart. Perhaps his partner wasn't mad at him, or afraid. Maybe that bastard had instilled the same fear Sam felt in Callen. Fear for his partner's life. Maybe they would get through this after all. Sam knew it would take time, one just didn't wake up and trust his partner so willingly after being shot and beaten by him.

Than again, G. Callen worked in mysterious ways.

Frozen in the moment Sam stared at his partner before scrambling to grab his phone. His partner needed help, help that only a certified doctor could administer.

"Eric," He spoke harshly into the receiver, only to be interrupted by the surfer.

"Sam, where the hell have you and Callen been? Kensi and Deeks have been trying to call you. I've been trying to call you. Hell, even Hetty…"

"Eric!" Sam interrupted firmly, "We hit some trouble, I need an ambulance where I'm at now. Track my phone using it's GPS." Though it would have been faster just telling Eric the address, Sam honestly couldn't remember his exact location after the mad dash in the alleyways. Perhaps he would have a better idea if his brain hadn't been still slightly confused from the drug.

The annoyed mixed with worry in his tone shifted to pure concern as the surfing tech spoke again, "Nell is sending it now. What happened? Did you find the guy?"

"Yeah," Sam answered slowly, clamping his hand down on the bullet wound on G's leg. The man cried out slightly from the pain. "There's to much to explain. G's down, he's was hit by a car, shot in the leg and I'm pretty sure injected with two doses of the drug."

"Pretty sure? How could you not be sure?" Eric asked, his voice surprised if nothing else. They were partners, they had one another's backs. Sam Hanna and G. Callen rarely left one another's sides on a case. Even when they did they were never too far from one another to help or know what was happening.

G moaned again, his hand twitching as if an electrical current shot through his nerves.

"Where's that ambulance Eric?" Sam demanded into the receiver, shifting when the air quality shifted. Smoke. "That bastard!"

"Its on it's way Sam, no need to call Nell names." Eric gasped.

"Not Nell," Sam barked back into the receiver. "The buildings on fire, I'm going to have to call you back. That ambulance better be here by the time I get out of this building!" Snapping the device closed Sam looked down at his fading partner. "I'm sorry G, I guess I might have to cause you a little more pain." Wincing Sam slipped the cell phone away in his pocket before slipping one arm beneath his partner's knees and the other one against Callen's bloody back.

Sam's arm settled directly over the graze and G cried out at the sudden and painful pressure. "Stop…" the semi conscious agent begged, letting gravity turn his head into his partner's strong shoulder. Though Sam was pretty sure Callen had no idea what was happening to him at the moment anyway.

"I'm sorry, but we have to move before the fire spreads. I am sorry." Sam spoke soothingly to his partner as he moved to stand. Sam's muscles were strained and weakened from the tension the drug had put in his body, but there was little he could do about it. One thing was for sure, he wouldn't let it stop him from saving his partner.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed!<strong>

**Reviews and reviewers are loved!**

**Strawberrywaltz**

**And now I'm going to get some food (coffee)…because I'm starving. ^^**


	8. Chapter 8

**

Hey guys! Enjoy the update!

Special shout out to my reviewers! Gillian gutfright, SumNumb3rs, justdreaming-83, daughter of ewan, Gabi2305, and Skippy1967

**

Chapter 8

Sam's heart was racing as he cradled his partner close to his chest. The smoke was becoming thick throughout the building as Sam made it to the staircase. The once dim first floor was now orange and grey from the growing flames. "Shit," He glanced down at his unconscious burden, although Callen was by no means overweight, he was still a man made up of heavy muscle and not exactly 'light' to carry.

Not wanting to put any unnecessary strain to the injured man's busted ribs Sam couldn't throw G over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. Grunting he shifted his partner's weight and started down the stairs blindly. The large man stumbled only once, nearly losing his hold on his partner and sending them both tumbling down the stairs. Thankfully Sam managed to maintain his balance and G at the same time.

Breathing heavily and sweating just as much Sam scanned the extremely hazy room for a safe way out once they reached the bottom. The heat stung his skin and dried out his eyes as he searched, feeling frantic and panicked but remaining composed and calm on the outside. He could do this, he had to save his partner.

Since the building wasn't completed the structure was weaker. Sam could see what had caused the fire to spread so rapidly. Blocks of insulation waiting to be wedged into the walls had been the initial start of the flame, from there the unsealed wood lit up like kindling.

The entrance was already up in flames and smothered with smoke, Sam didn't want to risk charging through, not with G in such a state. A cough worked its way up and out of his chest, shaking the injured agent's battered body in the process. Callen groaned and choke on the thick air as well. The sound was weak and strangled.

Wincing Sam looked for the nearest 'doable' exit only to find nothing else. Grunting the SEAL ducked his upper body over Callen like a football player protecting a football as he charged down the field. Instead of the defensive team coming at him Sam had to worry about fire that had spread to the ceiling.

Dashing forward Sam held his breath as he passed through the flames. Once outside and a safe distance away he immediately set G down as gently as possible and moved to rip off his now burning shirt. The heat had already scorched the skin on his back and the smoke had already done its damage on Sam's lungs and throat. Coughing he collapsed on his knees next to his partner, making sure that G was in no way on fire. As far as Sam could see through his blurred, dry eyes Callen looked to have no new injuries. A small blessing out of this mess.

G was breathing a little harsher, but Sam was just thankful his partner was breathing at all. A siren sounded and flashing lights caught the big man's attention. The ambulance had arrived. Sam heard his phone singing, but ignored it. Once G was taken care of he would call Eric back.

The EMT's asked questions as they prepped G for transport and Sam felt his mouth moving with answers. One of the EMT's insisted Sam be checked out and reluctantly the large agent agreed, his eyes on the other two buzzing over the still unconscious G.

It was about than that Kensi and Deeks pulled onto the scene. "Sam!" Kensi called out as she got out of the vehicle. Marty glanced at the ruined hotel, still burning though a fire crew was on scene.

"What happened?" Kensi asked Sam, glancing at the oxygen mask the larger agent was holding to his mouth. Her eyes skipped to were Callen's still form lay, Kensi's expressive eyes screamed with concern and worry for her friends.

The paramedic stepped in, interrupting the start of Sam's lengthy explanation, "Sir, we have to go."

"We lost the guy," Sam shook his head coughing a bit as he corrected himself, "I lost him, tell Eric to search the area for cameras, the guy was unmasked when we were chasing him."

"Sir, please." The paramedic insisted and Sam nodded, climbing in the back of the ambulance next to the gurney holding his partner already strapped down and hooked up to a heart monitor. The pulse was bouncy, going from fast and thready to normal from minute to minute.

"Keep me updated!" Sam barked as the doors were closed.

**Thank you guys so much for your support…I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment.**

**Love you guys!**

**- Strawberrywaltz**


	9. Chapter 9

**

Ha, so I was rather inspired by all the great reviews and messages I got from you guys and decided to give you a super long chapter! Thank you so much for all the support! It means so much!

Special shout out to justdreaming-83 (For the reviews and the messages! You are awesome!), daughter of ewan (Thank you also for your message!), Babs123 (I hope you enjoy the length of this chapter!) Gabi2305 (you are awesome!), Skippy1967 (Thrilled you're loving the hurt comfort!), and finally Gillian Gutfright (You area always so encouraging! Thank you!)

I love you guys! Enjoy!

**

**And thank you to all those who read anonymously!**

Chapter 9

Time had passed, the crime scene, or at least what was left of the crime scene had been processed. With much frustration the team still were no closer to finding the madman who had caused all the trouble. Sam was furious, pacing the empty floor space near G's bed. The anger helped keep the overwhelming guilt at bay. Now that G was near him and on his way back to being okay Sam was better. After the two agents had arrived at the hospital Sam had lost sight of his friend for a while, although not for a lack of trying to stay with Callen. Now that they had been reunited Sam had no intention of leaving until G was awake and they had officially talked about what happened.

During the time apart Sam's back was treated for the burns he had sustained escaping the burning building. Bandages were set in place over a generous amount of burn cream smeared over the scorched skin. His lungs and throat had been checked and treated from the copious amount of smoke he had inhaled.

Sometime later Sam found himself in a waiting room, balancing the worry for his partner and answering calls about the ongoing case. Kensi and Deeks were doing all they could to find their masked man, but as time passed it began to appear as if the man had vanished into thin air.

The guilt remained behind Sam's expressionless eyes as he stared at the ground hunched over in an uncomfortable hospital issued chair. Hazy memories became clearer with each passing moment since the drug left his system. G had already bit hit by a car, Sam saw in his memories how Callen had fought so hard not to hurt his crazed partner, despite the treatment he received in return on top of his already serious injuries.

"God damn it, Sam it's me!" The panicked words echoed in Sam's ears. The big agent knew how close he had come to killing his partner that day. The realization crushed him like a towering, building wave threatening to take him under for good. On the outside Sam managed to remain as calm as a lake on a windless day, but inside his soul raged an ocean of emotions tossed by the most fierce of storms. If for some reason Callen didn't pull through this Sam was positive he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

An hour or so later, Sam had lost track of the exact time, the doctor who had worked on his partner approached him, "Special Agent Sam Hanna?" The older man inquired. His face was kind, hands weathered with experience, but it was his small smile that calmed Sam's raging worry. He looked hopeful.

Sam nodded his affirmation and offered his hand in return, "How is G?" The big agent cut to the chase after the doctor took and shook Sam's hand and released it.

"Your partner has sustained extensive bruising over his entire body. I understand he was hit by a car and…" The man looked at the chart, apparently to get the facts straight, "And proceeded to chased down a suspect? Who beat later him rather severely."

Sam didn't bother correcting him, his face expressionless as he made no attempt to speak or nod.

"Right," The doctor seemed uncertain of Sam's lack of response. "Your partner was fairly lucky considering what he's been through. The vehicle that hit him thankfully was not going very fast, the damage done was mostly bruises, although bad bruises nothing life threatening. His ribs and left leg took the worse impact, badly bruising the muscle but not cracking the ribs. Mr. Callen's arm did have a rather nice gash, took eighteen stitches to sow up. Another gash we believe was caused by a bullet stretched across the back of his shoulders, it was long and deep in places. We sowed the deeper sections of the graze together, about fifty tight stitches in all. It's bandaged as well as the bullet wound in his leg. Through and through," The doctor paused again looking at his chart, "We stitched it up nicely, however he was shot at close rang, it left decent damage, but mostly to the muscle. It will heal, though it might give him some problems in the future. Sharp pain and soreness."

Sam visibly winced, looking down briefly. The doctor caught the change in the man and hesitated before finishing. Taking a moment to regain control of his emotions Sam looked up again, directly into the doctor's eyes, "What else?"

With a short nod of acknowledgment the doctor looked down at the second sheet of paper and once again continued his account of Callen's condition. "Um, he was struck on the back of the head, we detected a mild concussion as a result. This of course means we cannot give your partner painkillers just yet, we will re-evaluate this once the agent wakes up."

At this news Sam just glared. He'd been in the field long enough to know why doctors were cautious with concussions, still the idea of his partner in pain was not a happy one. Especially after the extent of Callen's injuries had been read off to Sam. The worst of which having been delivered by his own hands.

"I think that about covers the physical damage. The drug he was injected with had nearly left his system by the time he arrived, we still managed to get a sample. It was a nasty mixture of psychedelic drugs Dimethyltryptamine or DMT, a very small amount of Lysergic acid diethylamide otherwise known as LSD and a third we haven't quite identified yet. We believe the third was developed organically from a plant we haven't identified; we have nothing like it in our archives."

Sam's dark eyes flooded with the wave of emotion he had been desperately holding back, "Will there be any lasting healthy issues due to the drug?" The memory of finding his friend after his heart had stopped plagued him in that moment.

The doctor shook his head, "There shouldn't be. The extra dosage of the drug caused Mr. Callen's heart to beat rapidly, along with the pain he was in and the blood loss sustained his heart faltered and stopped. Your actions on quickly resuscitating Mr. Callen saved his life. I'm sure he will be very grateful to you. Thankfully your partner is young and healthy, his heart was able to bounce back nicely from the episode. We will be monitoring him closely until he wakes, but there is no reason why you can't sit with him in his room. A nurse will take you." With that the doctor headed off leaving Sam alone to follow the nurse to Callen's room.

Taking in a deep breath Sam only hesitated for a moment before entering his partner's hospital room. G lay in the bed covered by a thin white sheet that was eerily the same pallor of the unconscious man's skin. Letting out the breath slowly Sam moved forward, standing next to the bed stiffly. His eyes found the black bruises forming around Callen's throat, the bruises his own hand had inflicted.

It was then the waiting game began.

Eric was still filtering through the feeds of the cameras from the surrounding area, trying to get a clear picture of the man behind the devil mask. As of the moment they still had nothing. "Should have something by now," Sam grumbled quietly as he continued the back and forth movement across the floor, deep in thought. So deep he nearly missed when his partner's eyes fluttered open.

_

The first thing G's foggy eyes focused on was Sam's form pacing back and forth in the space next to his bed. The agent looked troubled, more so than the normal guilt Sam tended to suffer from after an experience like this. Something else was wrong, G just wasn't sure what. He did know he needed to do his best to lighten the stress load on his partner's broad shoulders.

"You look nervous." G's voice floated through the spinning thoughts in Sam's mind, causing the large agent to stop and turn towards the bed. Callen would have smiled, but his head hurt too much, the throbbing pain dulling the memories that brought him to this place. It was a haze, G remembered small things.

The clearer memories were in the car riding to the square, getting hit by the SUV and short scrambled flashes of Sam after the big man was shot with the drug. G had no clear memory after that, judging by what he could remember Callen was pretty sure he had been knocked out at some point.

"Being your partner tends to do that to a man." Sam shot back, seemingly relaxing at the familiar banter between them, but the feeling didn't last long. Walking across the room Sam stood next to Callen's bed, eyes locking with the tired blue orbs of his partner. "Are you in pain?" The question didn't quite fit the expression on Sam's face.

"Nah," G scoffed lightly, though sobering fast. "So, did we get the guy?" Callen shifted slightly as he spoke, pain spiked up through his leg causing the agent to groan, biting back a louder noise. He leaned forward, curing around the injury only to aggravate his other injuries in the process. "The hell? Was I shot?" He moaned out between heavy breaths, a cold sweat covered his already pale and clammy skin as a result of the sharp and intense pain.

Looking up questioningly into Sam's concerned eyes waiting for an answer, "How much do you remember?" Sam answered with a question of his own.

Well that wasn't fair, G thought, here he was in pain and his partner was avoiding giving him answers. Definitely not something Sam did often. "Not much, I assumed you knocked me out…" Callen saw the guilt filling Sam's eyes and shifted his comment, "Hey, I would have done the same thing to you if I had been shot with the drug." When the guilt only deepened in Sam's expression G frowned. "What's wrong?" Callen questioned again, frustrated with the lack of information he was getting. "What the hell happened Sam?" G demanded, eyes narrowed not in anger but in uncertainty.

"I," Sam started, fumbling at first as the emotions like a rollercoaster ran through him, "I didn't knock you out. You were able to subdue me before…"

Callen saw his partner struggling again and immediately felt bad. Here Sam was being consumed by guilt from the inside out and the core cause of the unnecessary emotion was yelling at him. "Sam, you know I don't blame you for anything that happened, right? This was unfortunate, but it wasn't you, it was the drug."

Sam winced, "But I shot you," He admitted, closing his eyes as Callen reacted. At first G blinked, mouth hanging open slightly in surprise, a flash of memory came back to him.

"Oh," Callen frowned, glancing down at his leg. With a shrug of his shoulders his eyes raised back up to Sam before a smile broke out on his face, "Well, it could have been worse. Could have shot me in the head."

The glare didn't cover Sam's guilt completely, "This isn't funny G! I could have killed you."

"But you didn't." G pointed out easily, leaning back in the hospital bed, "Now, can you please tell me what happened? The suspense is killing me," Callen grinned at that, "No pun intended, of course."

Rolling his eyes Sam hissed out a sign. "I'm not sure what happened, you cuffed me and disappeared. Next thing I knew my mind was coming out of a haze and some psycho was trying to kill me. I managed to ditch the cuffs, snapped his wrist and knocked him out…found you. Apparently you had been shot up with two doses of the drug." Sam paused, letting the information soak in.

"So," Callen let the word stretch as he considered the information, trying to remember what had happened. Nothing surfaced in his mind. "What did he say?"

"Who?" Sam asked, suddenly confused.

"You got the guy, didn't Kensi and Deeks interrogate him? Do you have any idea why he did this?"

Sam fell silent for a moment but eventually found his voice again, "He got away."

"What? You just said-" G blinked, feeling shocked once again.

"Apparently he came around while I was…with you, set the hotel on fire when he left. Eric is still trying to get a clear picture of our guy, but we've got nothing yet."

Callen took a minute to process the information and finally nodded in acceptance. "Alright, get the nurse." G hand went to free his other from the IV securely tapped there. Sam's hand roughly stopped him.

"What?" Sam questioned, tensing as if he knew exactly what was coming next.

"What do you mean 'what'? I'm not sitting around in a hospital doing nothing while this guy is still out there! I can-"

"No." Sam's firm voice stopped G from abandoning his bed. "You can not be serious. You were hit by an SUV, nearly beaten to death by me, shot, and injected with two doses of a very nasty psychedelic drug. On top of that you appear to have amnesia and some delusion that you leaving here before you are ready can make a difference on this case."

"Sam," Callen attempted to get a word in edge wise.

"No, G. I am putting my foot down. Don't make me call the doctor and send you to the psych ward." Sam's voice was low and dangerous, eyes piercing and serious.

"I would ask you if you are serious, but I can see that you feel very strongly on this subject." G pouted, forcefully relaxing himself back into his bed.

Sam huffed out a breath and settled himself into the plastic chair near Callen's bed, "You've got that right." He hissed, crossing his thick arms over his chest as he stood watch over his partner.

**As always Reviews and Reviewers are loved!**

**This weekend is kind of intense, so my updates might be a bit slower. Hopefully not though!**

**Thanks as always for your support and for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I had a moment before we headed out to celebrate my grandfather's birthday so I wrote up this chapter.**

**Special thanks to my reviewers! Justdreaming-83, Gabi2305, daughter of ewan, skippy1967. You guys rock my socks! (Who came up with that expression anyway? Weird. But for some reason I like it…)**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this story!**

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

Midnight struck on Halloween night as the two agents were sleeping in G's darkened hospital room. Sam slept in an uncomfortable looking position in his chair stationed by his partner laying in a fitful drug induced sleep on the bed. Because of Callen's opposing views on a full nights rest Sam had convinced the doctor on sedating G without his knowledge. It was for the injured mans own good, but G's nightmares found him even in the presence of his partner.

Sam had tried his hardest to stay awake, but Eric and the others had already called it a night. Hetty sent them home with an order to rest. Hoping that returning in the morning with fresh eyes would help their case to progress. After the rough day Sam found himself to be exhausted and shortly after Callen had succumbed to sleep the big agent had given in as well.

Neither one of them was aware when the door opened and a man dressed in blue nurse's scrubs entered. The man moved silently forward, looming over G on the opposite side of the bed as Sam, staring down at his pale form still caught up in a panicked dream. The man's white gloved hand reached out, skin smoothing over Callen's short hair in a soothing manor. G flinched at the touch but was unable to wake.

A smile formed under the man's surgical mask, hiding the majority of his face. He set a small note on the table and left it for the men. Someday soon they would meet again, the man had a plan. He just needed time.

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><p>The next day Sam was the first to wake, he didn't notice the small note left by the faceless nurse. His phone rang calling him out of the room and into the hallway. The nurses had already yelled at him for using his phone in the room. Apparently there was a rule against it. Not wanting to be banished from his partner's side, Sam obeyed begrudgingly.<p>

Eric had arrived at Ops early that morning to go through the rest of the video feeds. They had three blurry pictures of their cultrate, nothing clear enough to run it through facial recognition systems.

With a growl of frustration Sam ended the call before he unloaded all his frustration on Eric. In the back of his mind the agent knew the man had put every effort into finding the man who had caused all this damage. Eric didn't deserve to be yelled at and avoiding more conversation was the only way Sam could think of to prevent it.

Storming back into the room he was surprised to see G awake and sitting up in bed, eyes focused on a small piece of paper in his hand.

"What's that?" He questioned, drawing his partner's eyes up from the note.

"We had a visitor last night," G spoke, handing over the note lazily. His voice had an annoyed, lazy undertone. As if he just wanted something or someone to go away.

Curiously Sam took the note and read it out loud, "We'll see each other again soon," Sam's eyes narrowed at the signature, "Fear." He growled. "This guy, smug bastard." Whipping out his phone Sam turned into the hallway once again, eyeing the ceiling for cameras as it rang.

Eric answered, voice timid, "So, I guess it was a bad connection after all. Nell was right, you didn't hang-"

"Eric," Sam interrupted the rambling sharply, "Check through the video feeds on the cameras close to G's room in the hospital. We were left a note and I'm pretty sure it was from our guy."

"On it," Eric shot back over the line, less timid and more determined to please this time.

Disconnecting the line Sam returned to G's room and sighed, "This guy, I should have killed him when I had the chance."

Shaking his head G relaxed a bit in the uncomfortable bed, "Sam, we don't even know if he left the note."

"Oh, I know." Sam insisted, "It was him. The cheesy signature proves it." He pointed to the cursive 'Fear' before he began pacing. "This guy is going down G," Sam promised his partner.

Callen could remember Sam using the same tone of voice after Moe was killed. This was personal and Sam would stop at nothing until this was finished. However, G felt as though it wouldn't be finished for a while. This guy, whoever he was, seemed to be smart. Twisted, but smart.

With a light sigh he focused on the wall in front of him, trying to remember anything from his time alone with the man. Nothing came to mind, nothing to go off of. No leads to follow. This guy was a ghost.

When Sam had described what the man looked like to a sketch artist that picture had clashed with what G remembered of what the guy looked like. It wasn't surprising, since Sam's prospective had been off from the drug. Callen's own memories were hazy, contorted and unhelpful. All in all, they had nothing. Just bad memories, well what they could remember, and more questions than answers.

One thing was for sure, G looked at his partner still pacing and mumbling to himself. This wasn't over.

**Ha, so I guess you are freaking out right now…a bit angry maybe? I am sorry. But there is good news! There will be a sequel! This is part of the 'extension' you all wanted…I felt like the first half of the story needed to end at the end of the day. Because now it isn't about Halloween…at least not so much anymore…**

**Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed the first half of the story and if you guys have any requests for the next part feel free to send me a message! I already have a story plot and a back-story for the bad guy planned out but I can try and add things if I can! (Disclaimer, since you all don't know the plot some of the requests might not fit…however I will do my best to add it in! If I don't add in your request I apologies ahead of time! But it doesn't hurt to ask!)**

**Thank you so much for reading! And the crazy awesome support of my reviewers! I am mad thankful for you guys!**

**Reviews and Reviewers are loved!**

**- Strawberrywaltz**


	11. Epilog

**Epilog: I forgot I had really wanted to do this scene…I was just so excited to actually finish a story (sort of…)**

A few days later Callen had convinced everyone that he would literally go insane if he stayed in the hospital a day longer. He had already stopped taking the pain meds, much to Sam's dislike, saying that he wanted to be able to defend himself if necessary with a clear head.

Eric had gotten nothing from the hospital cameras. The man who had left the note had covered the majority of his face and probably died his hair. In Sam and Callen's description of their attacker he had dark hair, in the video the man's hair had been blond. None of the cameras picked up much else, just what they knew already. The man was a young, Caucasian probably in his late twenties to early thirties.

G sat in the front passenger side of Sam's black Challenger, leaning back comfortably with his eyes closed. His seat was pushed as far back as it would go, to give his leg as much room as possible to stretch out. The complimentary hospital issued crutches were laying in the back seat, ready for him when they stopped at his house. G loathed them, but if he were being honest to himself he knew he needed to use him. The better he treated his leg as it was healing the less permanent damage he would suffer from later after it was healed.

Sam had announced earlier in the day that he would be acting as Callen's own personal guard dog until he was free of the crutches. Though those weren't Sam's exact words, Callen had decided 'guard dog' sounded more like Sam. It was a noble, selfless act to insure that the mad man wouldn't return for his partner. Although G was seriously contemplating asking Hetty for a security detail instead, mostly because Sam had been complaining about his lack of furniture ever since they had gotten into the black car.

"Look, if you want a bed go to a hotel." G sighed out, his voice not as edgy as it could have been. Callen opened his eyes and glanced around as the car rolled to a stop. "You do realize this is no where near where I live…wait, are we back at Ops?"

"I thought you said you were off the pain meds." Sam teased his confused partner lightly as he parked the car and killed the engine.

Callen glared but didn't bother retaliating, silently trying to figure out why they were back at the office. "Do we have a new case?" Or a lead, Callen thought to himself, but didn't want to upset Sam by bringing the 'lack there of' up. Besides, he could see a sparkle in Sam's eye…something was up.

"Nope, hurry up Gimpy." Sam announced, exiting the car and moving to the other side to assist G as he maneuvered his healing body out of the car and balanced on the crutches Sam handed him.

G's blue eyes narrowed slightly at Sam but it wasn't in anger or frustration, but instead in concentration. Trying to think back to any hints that might have been dropped on what was going on. Callen wasn't exactly a fan of surprises.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?" G hobbled on his crutches next to Sam as they crossed the street to the front door of the building.

Sam smirked, shaking his head, "Nope, you're just going to have to see for yourself."

G sighed and limped inside after Sam opened the door and stepped aside for him. He headed towards the bullpen and paused at the sight he came across.

"Ah, Mr. Callen," Hetty greeted with a bright toothy smile. "So glad that you could join us."

The small woman was dressed up in a replica of something Lady GaGa would wear, causing the agent's mouth to drop open a bit. Luckily it appeared to be a child sized costume and not as revealing as the real Lady GaGa would allow.

His eyes traveled to the rest of the team, Deeks was dressed up as Frankenstein's Monster, Kensi as Wonder Woman, and Eric was clad in an Indiana Jones costume, bullwhip, brown leather jacket and all.

Nell was the last to catch Callen's blue eyes, the short red head dressed as a 'black cat' wearing a lacy, short black dress that flared out at her waist and adorable fluffy cat ears. Her feathery red hair was positioned so that her real ears were hidden, a nice touch. Though she hadn't drawn a nose or whiskers on her face her eye make up was darker than normal around her eyes giving a shadowy, smoky look. On her feet Nell wore a pair of knee high black boots with bells that chimed as she made her way down the steps. Another bell in the form of a choker necklace was strapped around her small neck.

"Sam mentioned that you were upset you had missed Halloween." The young analyst explained with a bright smile. "So we got together to give you the party you missed."

Callen's eyes widened in surprised and than narrowed slightly at Sam, "That…was supposed to be a secret." He worded the sentence carefully. Although there was much of his Halloween still locked away in a thick fog, the conversation the two partners had in the car before hand was clear in his mind.

"And check this out G," Sam ignored his partner and handed Callen a big bowl of assorted chocolate, "Free candy." The implication behind the words made G smile brightly.

"Well, I guess there are three good things about Halloween." He said, accepting the pirate eye patch from Eric as Sam pulled some 'bling' over his neck.

"Three?" Sam questioned, as the others started to mingle among themselves. "I thought we decided on two." Sam smirked slightly before adding, "By the way you were right, both our places got papered rather nicely."

G winced but enlightened his partner, counting off the 'good points' of Halloween on his fingers, "Free candy, girls in costumes," He glanced at Hetty engaged in a conversation with a frightened looking Deeks and cringed a bit, "Well, some girls…" his eyes shifted to Nell briefly before looking back at Sam, "And the last good point: Hanging out with good friends."

Grinning Sam nodded, "I can definitely agree on the last point."

The two partners fell silent for a moment as they scanned the room at their friends having a good time before Callen glanced sideways at Sam again, "What are you supposed to be? Exactly? A gangster? Don't you pretend to be those enough in our line of work, I would think you'd be sick of it by now."

"I'm a rapper, G" Sam corrected with a slight glare, watching as Callen pulled the eye patch over his eye.

G pursed his lips a bit and shook his head, "I'm not convinced, you just don't seem like a rapper to me." He shrugged, adjusting his crutches under his arms.

"Whatever, at least I'm not the one eyed, one leg pirate!" Sam called after G, sounding only mildly offended.

G flashed Sam a bright smile, "At least I can pull off my costume without even trying!" Callen grinned hobbling off to mingle with the others.

Sam's frown turned quickly into a smile as he shook his head, "At least I talked Eric out of the zombie costume idea." He sighed and moved over to save Deeks from Hetty.

**Hope you enjoyed the surprise chapter!**

**- Strawberrywaltz**

**The sequel is still coming…promise!**

**Reviews and Reviewers are always loved!**

**And yeah, that was a bit of Gell at the end…what can I say? I like that pairing…**


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